Writing in a personal capacity to share views, information and resources for teachers, trade unionists and campaigners in London - and beyond!

Thursday, 17 October 2013

OCTOBER 17 - Determined, Angry and Striking Back Against Gove's Attacks

LONDON

Right across London, the South of England and in the North-East, tens of thousands of striking teachers took to the streets today to show their determination to stand up for education and to strike back against Gove's attacks on pay, pensions and conditions.The size of the turnout answered anyone who might have thought that the mood of teachers was weakening. On the contrary, the atmosphere at the demonstrations showed that the mood is hardening.

BRISTOL

2000 marched in Brighton and Durham, 3000 in Bristol, anything up to 15000 in London, where the march thronged down Whitehall and past the Department of Education. There were also other vibrant local rallies in towns like Plymouth and Canterbury too. The age of many of
the marchers was also significant - many young teachers were to the fore, determined to march for their futures, and for the future of education too.

BRIGHTON

Teachers have had enough of being so denigrated, bullied and overworked that they end up having to leave the job they chose to enter. They have had enough of ideological attacks from a Secretary of State who wants to cut the costs of our pay and pensions to help his privatising friends - and, as all of today's chants made clear, they want Gove to go!

Today's determined mood and excellent turnout, building on the earlier regional strikes on June 27 and October 1, will help keep up the pressure on both the NASUWT and NUT Executives to carry out what we have promised - and call a one-day national strike before Christmas. Any delay would be a huge mistake - and a huge letdown after the buoyant mood of today's strike.

LONDON

As I wrote in a campaign leaflet that was handed out to teachers at all today's rallies: "Further hesitation would invite further attacks. Gove needs to know that we aren’t stepping back. The strong support for the regional strike action shows that teachers are determined to defend their pay, pensions, conditions - and children’s education. Teachers would prefer to be teaching, not striking. However, our campaign is part of a wider struggle to defend genuinely free, comprehensive education. We have a responsibility to teachers, and to the children we teach, to make sure that Gove retreats".

ON THE PICKET LINE IN LEWISHAM

Gove CAN be beaten back - as long as we hold our nerve and step up our action. That's why I am campaigning for the following strategy:

Work to get every school out on a united one-day national strike in November

Call on other unions - like firefighters, postal workers, civil servants - to strike alongside us

LONDON

Build united NUT/NASUWT school committees to keep up the pressure for joint action

Sharpen-up our communications - make sure that every colleague, every parent, understands why teachers are taking action to defend education

Campaign in our communities to broaden the support for our fight against’s Gove’s attacks

Collect for hardship funds so that no colleague feels unable to join our strike action

Continue our action next term; if Gove won't step back, then we should step up to a two-day strike

Martin Powell-Davies

* Brought up as a socialist by parents who hungered for what is right * One adopted grandfather left me a double-barrelled name, the other his name on a 1926 General Strike black-list * Joined the Labour Party as a teenager, left it when it abandoned the values and traditions of so many who built it in the past * Given a comprehensive education at St.Andrew's, Leatherhead * First-class degree from King's College, Cambridge, for those who like that kind of thing * Secondary science teacher in London 1986-2015 * Lewisham NUT Secretary 1993-2015, organiser of many campaigns to defend teachers and education * Living in Sydenham since 1997, father of four who were all so well-supported by Sedgehill School * Member of the NUT National Executive 2010-15 * NUT London Regional Secretary 2016 - * Proud to have been name-checked by Gove for saying that his 'reforms' could make teaching unbearable * Member of the CWI, following its global struggles via http://www.socialistworld.net * Candidate for TUSC in Lewisham West & Penge, 2015 * Member of Penge CC, often a 'Middle Aged Man In Lycra' on Sundays